An Ironic Destiny
by Firstwyvern
Summary: A would-be pokemon trainer embarks on a journey through Kanto in the shadowed footsteps that Red had walked years ago, with a strange twist. He's his own pokemon. Update delayed to within this week.
1. The Ironic Twist

**Hi, I just want to take this little space to talk a little.**

**This is my very first fanfiction. While I've done roleplaying and the like for quite a while, the thought occurred to me that I might like to try writing my own story without having to depend on other people's content.**

**I'm hoping that being on this site will help better my writing. I openly welcome comments from everyone who takes the time to kindly read this story. This will be by no means an experiment into what I can do, but instead an attempt into what I aspire to be able to do in the future.**

**By the way, any references to Blue Red and Green etc. are of English reference: Blue is male and Green is female.  
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**I claim no rights to pokemon yadda yadda yadda— But the characters that are blatantly mine obviously do belong to me.  
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**Introduction aside, please enjoy.**

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><p><span>An Ironic Destiny<span>

Ch.1

The Ironic Twist

The thought of the adventure and freedom that awaited him once he awoke left Largo in a peculiar state of half-consciousness. As he lay asleep, he dreamed vividly of what awaited him and his friend on the morning of their start as trainers. It had been perhaps four years of dreaming of this moment, and it already seemed so long ago that he realized this was the last night he would be dreaming. Growing up in the Kanto region, especially Pallet Town, the bar had been set high for both expectations and aspirations with the Red incident. Amidst the mess of excited ponderings and anxious waiting for his alarm, a distraction swept his dreams aside for a moment. Largo noted the odor of grass as he breathed deeply. Grass… Had his imagination run amok for too long?

Uneasy in the thought that he had slept too deeply to hear his alarm, he tried to force himself awake, met with a blinding light that forced his eyes closed once more.

If this wasn't an indication of having overslept, he didn't know what it could have been. Much to his confusion, however, as Largo reached around for his glasses, he grasped only blades of grass and dirt in his stiff fingers. Squinting painfully as he dared to open his eyes again, he saw only rolling hills of grass and scattered, lonely trees. The vivid, moist blades of green absorbed the light of the mid-day sun, contrasting the dark shadow into the doubts of Largo's mind.

"What am I doing outside…?" He muttered to himself, weakly pushing himself onto his arms and knees, his limbs feeling foreign as though he had slept for an eternity. As he lifted his head, he noticed he hadn't gone far from the ground he was just resting on. Extending his legs as far as he could, he didn't make it any farther off the ground than he already was. Standing upright abruptly to find out what was going on, he instead went from lying on his belly to his back in mere moments, his paws hanging in front of his face. The shock from his fall stunned him for a moment, stiffening his body.

…Paws?

Largo fumbled with his legs, two of which he clearly remembered being arms hours ago. "This isn't-" He tried to convince himself in vain as the reality set in. "-I have to be dreaming still! This can't be real…" his brown fur he had thought was his blanket was now an uncomfortable nuisance as he tried his best to take in all of this information. He was supposed to wake up to the beginning of his adventure as a trainer, with his best friend by his side. Instead, he had awoken to find himself in diminutive size, on four legs and with brown fur encompassing him.

Most mornings, you wouldn't expect to wake up as a pokemon.

At least confirming his species as an Eevee as he tentatively lifted his fragile paws, mourning over the loss of his opposable thumbs, his face took on a look of shocked agony as he listened to the hushed whisper of someone nearby.

"There's one! Go for it!" The familiar voice was soon quieted by the sound of rustling leaves, leaving Largo scrambling to his awkward feet as he knew what was coming next. Unwilling to look backwards into the ironic face of reality, Largo tripped over his legs having no recollection of knowing how to walk like this, let alone run. Hastily kicking the dirt behind him in a pathetic attempt to propel himself, he steadied up and ran off into the plains ahead. The quiet thundering of the footsteps of someone much larger than him synchronized with his quickened heartbeat, adrenaline pumping throughout his unfamiliar body. Tail flailing uselessly behind him, he cursed whatever cruel deity would give him such floppy ears as they slowed his running to a painfully even pace with his pursuer.

"Well, my day's officially ruined." He sarcastically spoke to himself as he continued to sprint into the hills of open field, no forest in sight.

Tripping over his feet once more, Largo rolled into the wall of a steep dirt cliff, coughing up swallowed dust as he hyperventilated. He was dead tired, running for what seemed like hours. He squinted through the cloud of dust he left in his wake, the shine of rectangular glasses cutting through the dry mist. The boy in front of him clutched a pokeball in his hand, his legs bent, prepared to rest on the ground from running so much. Largo's eyes widened as his thoughts sank deeper into his brain. The boy was no more than twelve years old, a long black and white scarf coiled lazily around his neck. The black leather cabby hat he sported poorly hid the somewhat long hair on his head. The open dark green dress shirt and jeans he wore were littered with dirt and grass stains, the black T-shirt inside seemingly untouched. Time slowed into a slur while he continued to inspect his soon-to be captor. The ball had been thrown, movement speeding up little by little. As the ball was lanced towards Largo, he shut his eyes and surrendered his consciousness to the dark corner of his mind that knew what he had just seen.

Himself.

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><p><strong>You guys are probably thinking "OH GOD ANOTHER STORY WITH AN EEVEE CHARACTER". …Yeah. Sorry. I'll try to make it good :[<strong>

**Again, comments and critique are more than welcomed.**


	2. A Strange Reunion

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><p><span>An Ironic Destiny<span>

Ch.2

A Strange Reunion

Though Largo's eyes were closed, he could still see the flash of red that sealed the imminent fate he had anticipated. He made no work to wrestle his way out of the ball, being both fatigued and hopelessly distraught at the same time. He shook his head as the final click of the ball finalized his entrapment.

"This can't be happening…" He repeated the words over and over, wailing louder and more desperately. He lay in a stupor of depression and confusion, eventually deciding to open his eyes to his new prison. There was nothing. Black and empty, wisps of dust illuminated by the only light that shone on him, always visible. It was as though it were a dark stage of significance, the audience being the only entertainment. Whatever rumors and ideas his friends had as to what was inside of a pokeball he had heard were instantly cast away. As he looked up, he saw a faint break in the shell of darkness, the only light far above him.

Largo could deduce that the ball was slanted, unable to see his trainer's—He stopped the thought for a moment, shaking his head violently as though to remove the thought. Unable to see his own face, he instead saw his friend Mel's face, whose voice he had heard moments before his hellish sprint. He recognized her straight brown hair, black stripes falling down the back of her head. He knew she was talking, but the words were quieted by the barriers of his pokeball. With nothing better to do, Largo sat and listened to their conversation.

"…You sure ran for a bit! I wasn't sure you would catch up to it!" Mel laughed, a chuckle responded from Largo's captor. "We should head back to Oak before we leave. Pokedex's and all…" She reclined her arms behind her head, revealing a pokeball on her belt. Mel's face brightened as she thought of another conversation piece, pointing her finger directly at Largo's pokeball. "Have you thought of a nickname yet?"

Largo cringed at the thought of a nickname. That was the last thing he needed at a moment like this, and knowing himself better than anyone, it would probably conversation continued, the eevee tuning out what they were saying. It was probably trainer-related things, which in this situation, didn't relate to him.

"At least, not anymore."

Largo's lack of interest in their conversation allowed him to find comfort in sleep; A sleep that was very short-lived. His pokeball shook mildly as it was pulled off of its belt, a clear view of Professor Oak's lab shown in the small window of light. He was placed into a rest, other pokeballs sitting nearby. As Largo looked up, however, the professor's face was a few decades younger than he remembered. His blue eyes were calm and focused, an arrogant look of collected experience on his face gleaming to the two trainers in front of him.

Largo was abruptly released from his pokeball, the sudden force causing him to fall over. The red beam left a bitter taste in his mouth as it left him, his parallel captive from Melanie's pokeball released. Shaking off the dust from his fur, Largo sighed lightly. As the bright red light from the other pokeball faded, another eevee appeared. She muttered words of discomfort under her breath, her voice familiar yet distorted. Immediately, Largo stepped beside her to hear her voice more clearly. It almost sounded like…

"Mel?" He asked curiously, the eevee's face turning somewhat aggravated.

"What do you want? And how—" She paused, looking at her captor. Slowly returning her gaze to Largo, she fiddled with her paws awkwardly. "…Largo?"

Largo softly grinned, several layers of his angst and misery lifted as their silent reunion brought up even more questions. Before he could say another word, he was whisked away by himself, the situation still quite difficult to grasp. Left with nothing else to do, he and Mel listened to the conversation with the professor.

"…Yeah, the old man's out on a trip for the other regions, so I'm taking his place while he's out." Largo's full attention was now drawn to him. That means this guy's Blue! Both human and eevee counterparts of himself found it difficult to contain themselves as Blue continued talking.

"In any case, I should be sending you two out now. Let me just find those…" He rummaged the desk's drawers violently, eventually producing two rectangular metal contraptions from his hands. "Aha!" He handed the Pokedexes to the trainers, the eevee instinctively reaching for it in vain.

Before Blue dismissed them, Largo spoke up. "Er—uh, Oak—or Blue?" As awkwardly as he had spat the jumble out, Blue simply nodded. "You wouldn't happen to know where Red is, would you?"

A contemplative mask covered Blue's face as he combed his memories. A few moments of silence, he returned his gaze to Largo. "I do recall for a few months, he kept asking me to go fishing with him at Goldenrod…" Proceeding to shrug, he turned around and returned to whatever work he had been doing. "That's all I know. Have fun you two!"

Blue waved his hand back at the two trainers as they faded from sight of the laboratory doors. He reminisced of the beginning of his own adventure, and where it had led him.

"They'll do well, I know it."

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><p><strong>In which Largo discovers his friend is in the exact same situation as him.<strong>

**I again request Reviews and Critique. If you have read thus far, I thank you strongly for taking the time to do so.**


	3. The First Battle: What's in a Name?

An Ironic Destiny

Ch.3

The First Battle: What's in a Name?

Just before exiting the laboratory, it was decided between the two trainers that nicknames should be established. Largo's fur stood on end at the thought of receiving a new name, Mel trying her best to calm him down.

As the two trainers finalized their ideas, Largo was the first to speak. "I guess I'll name you…" He speculated as he seemed to be juggling several names in his mind. "Rain." Rain took a sharp breath, pausing for a second. Looking at his friend for reassurance, he sighed a breath of relief. It could have gone worse.  
>"I'll name her Baine!" Melanie exclaimed decidedly, neither of the two newly named pokemon complaining. Rain started walking towards the doors as though to signal their leave, calling for his friend. "Mel—" He was cut off.<p>

"Maybe we should call each other by our nicknames. I mean… So we don't get confused." Baine interrupted wistfully, slowly following them. Rain slowed down next to her, concerned.

"Baine," He called, struggling to separate the names. "…Okay." Dropping the subject, he nudged her and caught up with their trainers. Baine remained behind for a moment, a look of uncertainty on her face. She mulled over her thoughts, head facing upwards. Three pidgeys flew high in the air, only silhouettes visible under the bright sun.

"This isn't what I expected..."

Rain sped ahead of the group, looking out on the crown of the hill into the valley. Once they were down this hill, they will have left Pallet Town. He took in the last steps before he was finally on his journey, a bitter-sweet wave surging through him as he remembered his position. Reluctantly stopping to let everyone else caught up, he looked down with a startled gasp. Largo lifted his eevee up over his back, onto his shoulder. Rain panicked, grabbing whatever cloth he could grab onto for balance. Hearing Baine stifle a laugh, he balanced himself, turning around to stick his tongue at her.

"I was just caught off guard, that's all!"

Still somewhat embarrassed from his unnecessary freak-out, Rain noticed something strange about the trees. Upon closer review, he saw thick green streaks of paint coating the bark of the trees along the bottom of the path. Looking back at the others, he saw that they hadn't so much as noticed anything strange. Scoffing, Rain leapt off his trainer's shoulders, following the paint trail as they continued to follow the path. The heavy odor of the paint was hazing his train of thought as he found the paint had curved around into the forest. With complete disregard for the group, Rain sprinted off in pursuit of the painter.  
>The sound of crunching leaves and twigs beneath his paws was satisfying, finding some enjoyment in his transformation. The paint seemed to have gone a long ways, though he didn't mind. The primal sense of pleasure in running soothed his thoughts, clearing his mind of his troubles. The thought was foreign to him, yet at the same time, felt natural. Rain grinned at sight of a slow-moving silhouette far ahead. He wasn't sure what he would do when he caught up with him, but he figured he could figure that out when he got there.<p>

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Largo spun his head around wildly, searching in futile effort to find Rain. Clutching his head with one of his hands, he found it difficult to express how impossible it was to have already lost his pokemon.  
>"He couldn't have gone too far…" Mel assumed, searching for any hint of where he might have run off. Looking back at the path they had been following, she caught sight of trampled brush and paint streaks heading into the forest. Upon bringing it to Largo's attention, his reaction was almost immediate as he hastened himself through the forest. Startled, Mel remained dazed for a few moments, eventually picking up Baine in her arms. Running after Largo, the only thing left on the path were footsteps and scattered leaves.<p>

Rain was finally in plain sight of his target, now sprinting full force at the bipedal pokemon. Just as its head turned to face him, he slammed into what seemed to be wearing a beret, the both of them crashing and tumbling through forest growth. Having torn up a clear path into a clearing, the both of them plucked leaves and branches out of their fur as they faced each other. The pokemon had brown stripes on its arms and legs, floppy brown ears and indeed sported a beret. It precariously held its tail above ground. The tail resembled a paintbrush, bright green paint dripping from its tip as the trail of paint had finished where they had crashed.  
>"Well that's rude!" The pokemon called as he continued to sweep dirt and grass out of his fur. "I guess I can't mark my home well enough for another stupid…" He continued muttering to himself as Rain stood aside, somewhat indifferent to his acquaintance's chatter. As the mumbling got less cohesive and much quieter, the pokemon stopped in his tracks as he saw movement behind the eevee.<br>He knew the sound of a trainer well.

As the three caught up to Rain, Largo immediately ran beside his pokemon, checking to see if he was okay. Rain's inattentiveness was a hint, however, that attention should be brought to the pokemon in front of them. Hastily pulling out his pokedex, the contraption began displaying information regarding the vandal.  
>"A Smeargle… It doesn't look like he can do a whole lot to you, so this should be a piece of cake!" Largo confidently sneered, resulting in a narrowed look from the Smeargle. He clearly didn't believe that. Switching the display to the Rain's moves, he planted his feet in the ground as he reviewed what he had.<br>"Oh wow, you don't really have a lot of moves, do you?" Largo sighed, an irritated look flashing on Rain's face. He was such a prick to himself.  
>"Rain, use Tackle!"<p>

Rain prepared to charge as the command was said. He already knew full well how to do _that _attack. Making full contact with the Smeargle as profanities were spewed from his mouth, the sound of a satisfying crack made it clear he had hit a weak spot. Falling to the ground, the Smeargle picked himself back up, feigning strength as he covered the wound with his free hand.  
>"I won't be that easy to catch! Let's hope I know how to do this one…!" The Smeargle yelled half to himself, raising his tail into the air. It flashed a bright blue light, waves of freezing cold emanating from the tail. He waved it around almost maniacally; clearly unknowledgeable in how it worked. While the cold was bearable, Rain yelped as a giant chunk of ice generated beside him with a loud crack. While learning about pokemon, he remembered watching a video about a move like this. It had encompassed a whole stadium, flash-freezing the opponent for an instant-win.<p>

"What kind of level four knows Sheer Cold?" Largo screamed, recalling the same video. Mel shrugged her shoulders as she hid behind a tree, boulders of clear ice almost growing out of the ground. Rain shivered as he stared at his reflection in the ice beside him. Had he been in that, he would have known what it was like to faint. The waves of cold stopped abruptly, the attack having completely missed. The paint on his tail was now much darker, completely fatigued from using that attack. Before another moment was wasted, a pokeball sailed through the air, tapping the Smeargle on the head. With all four of them gaping at the destruction the attack had caused, they all sighed a breath of simultaneous relief as the pokeball clicked a third time, confirming the capture.

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><p><strong>In which they are nicknamed, and Rain helps himself capture a strange companion.<strong>

**Strangeness will be explained later.**


	4. An Uncomfortable Introduction

Finally, an update. Sorry for disappearing, my life got in the way. Expect faster updates than this one, hah.

Anyways, I would like to give a **huge** thanks to Farla for giving me a quite detailed review. Hopefully I can do this story more justice now. Remember, comments and critique are always welcomed.

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><p><span>An Ironic Destiny<span>

Ch.4

An Uncomfortable Introduction

A freezing gust of wind blasted against Rain, hard ice threatening to cut the pads on his paws as he carefully maneuvered as best he could. Keeping his head low, he watched his legs move mechanically, trying his best to ignore the frigid conditions. Trudging onwards, he had been walking for what seemed to be hours. With but only the objective of moving forwards, he mindlessly walked through the endless field of cold. Finally, the blizzard subsided. In an almost ethereal manner, clumps of puffed snow began to fall gently from the sky, in almost complete contrast to the blizzard.

Rain stopped.

His eyes widened at the sight of a magnificent ice blue bird, flakes of snow falling from its wings. It glared at Rain, its presence meaning this was no light matter.

"Why are you satisfied with this?" its commanding voice boomed, sifting the snow around Rain's paws. Curiosity crossed his face as he failed to understand the context. This act of ignorance only made the bird's voice grow louder. "You naïve fool!" Its words boomed through the cold air, echoing so loudly as though there were more than one of it.

Rain then understood that it spoke of his role reversal, dipping his head to the ground.  
>"I…" He recalled the moment he stepped out on the hill, the foundation upon which he built his dreams throughout his life. He remembered the uncomfortable realization that it wasn't the same. He recollected his attempt to force compliance upon himself. The moment he discovered Mel was in the same situation.<br>"It doesn't matter what happens, I'm still on the same journey." Bravely stated, there was an underlying layer of fear, amplified by his shaking voice.

The bird lashed its wings open, freezing winds whipping Rain as he fell to his knees. "You're going to give up your dream to an imposter just like that?" Its words stung. "To journey as a trainer is quite different from being a pokemon, much more than you would ever—"  
>Rain's face grew cross, rage flashing through his body. He yelled louder than he knew he could, every sensation of cold focusing itself in his chest. "Then what business do you have with me?"<p>

A long pause took over, the narrow look produced by the icy menace masking a pleasured grin. "Nobody ends up like you for just any reason." It began flapping its wings, a strong wind pulsing against the ground. "Be cautious of who you trust…" It paused as it prepared to soar into the air. "…Largo."  
>Rain only grew angrier as the bird began to fly away. The core of ice in his chest stung him, pressing his aggression as he rose to his feet again. The blizzard resumed, his words caught in the storm.<br>Strong winds from the storm caught him off guard. The blasting storm sent him flying through the air, unable to tell whether or not he was ascending or descending. He continued to tumble through the air, shutting his eyes. His tumbling turned into a straight fall downwards, hitting cold, solid ground.

Rain awoke with a startled gasp. Breathing heavily, his anger subsided as he remembered where he was. The sound of wind beating the tent they slept in mirrored the winds of his dream, the cold core he acquired remaining. He relaxed, resting his head back down. The stuffy tent was a suffocating warm, soft breathing and Largo's snoring reassuring him. The Smeargle they had caught earlier rested beside him, tail carefully placed on a piece of paper. Rain began to recall the words spoken by the pokemon in his dream. Why was it so instinctive to battle? He hadn't even questioned the thought until now, having taken orders by himself.  
>Shooting a reflexive glance at Largo, Rain felt a chill go down his spine. His conversation in his dream echoed in his mind. Shaking his head violently, he attempted to dismiss the dream as nothing. Though it wasn't working, he proceeded to lower his head, once again attempting sleep.<p>

"So it's for painting stuff?"

Rain cocked his head sideways as he speculated the Smeargle's tail. "It seems kind of impractical to me." The Smeargle was taken aback somewhat by the comment. Stating his words with assurance, he replied with a simple enough answer.  
>"It's natural if you're born with it."<p>

The troupe had packed up their temporary lodging, nearing Vermillion City. Baine wore a drained look on her face, actively avoiding eye contact with Rain. Concerned, he knew better than to talk to her in this mood. She was especially touchy when she was upset.  
>A sudden inquiry from the Smeargle interrupted Rain's thoughts, whipping his head around in surprise.<p>

"I'm sorry; I never got your name…?" The beagle asked.

"Oh, it's La-" He cut off, glancing back to his friend. Taking a short moment's pause, Rain reluctantly returned his attention to the Smeargle. Faking a smile, he finally confirmed his name. "Rain. It's Rain." Having officially forfeited, the least he could do is socialize with the guy. "How about you, what's your name?" He shot the question back, genuinely curious as to whether or not pokemon gave each other names in the wild.

"I never had a real name before now, but I guess it's Cible now." He responded with a hesitant voice, giving a wayward glance to Largo. Contrary to their encounter in the forest, he seemed a little coddled. Carefully wielding his tail with his left hand, Cible seemed hesitant to leave paint anywhere.

"…Well it's a strange name, I'll give you that!" Rain chuckled, garnering a smile from his new acquaintance. He's a tolerant guy, at least. As he continued to observe the Smeargle, the mark on his back caught his attention. What was a well-printed green paw print was slashed out with a thick, messy scar of red paint. Giving a concerned frown as he winced at the mark, Rain raised the subject for discussion.  
>"The mark on your back doesn't seem like it's very common…" He remarked out loud, carelessly treading onto another subject. "You know, you don't seem to mind being captured very much, either." There was a moment of silence between the two, the only sounds penetrating the quiet being their footsteps and the few words exchanged between Largo and Mel. They continued walking, guilt slowly climbing its way through Rain. If he had touched something sensitive, that might make his situation that much worse.<br>Finally, Cible responded.

"I, uh…" He paused again for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should speak. His head was lowered to the ground, deep in thought. "The mark on my back means that I'm a traitor."

"A traitor?" Rain mused, perplexed. "Traitor to what? Why?"

"Smeargle live in clans and colonies, like a big family. Art, especially in my former family, was a sacred topic. While everyone had the same idea about it, I was… Different."

Silence took over again for a moment; Rain unsure of what to say. He wanted him to continue, but had no words to add. Baine was definitely in earshot of this; though it was strange she hadn't chimed in or at least approached them. Cible shortly resumed his story, silence having been the smarter choice on Rain's part.

"In the end, I was marked a traitor, and was banished from my clan. I wandered around aimlessly for days, trying to think of a way to open their narrow-sighted eyes…" His tone of voice got somewhat hostile. Cible paused for a moment, collecting himself again. "I never thought of anything, and then you showed up."

Rain gave a sympathetic look to Cible whose expression revealed nothing but smiles. Once again thrown off, Rain was hit with yet another question.

"How about you? Were you a lab pokemon or something?"

Rain's jaw locked up. Though the question was sincere, it was going to be difficult if not impossible to tell him the truth. Deciding to try and avoid answering, he stammered over his words. "I don't- I can't really…" Rain trailed off, cut off by Cible.

"It's fine. After what I've been through, I think I can handle whatever you can tell me. You might as well; we're going to be around each other for a while."

Rain figured he was right. Difficult as it would be to tell him, he might as well. Taking a sharp breath, he told him everything since the day before.


	5. True Departure

**I owe everyone who actually cares about this (From my count, 0.04/1 of a person) an apology. I said faster updates, and I bring it to you much later than the last. I had to straighten some things out. Let this be a lesson: Don't believe anything I promise you. **

…**Unless it's candy. Always accept candy from strangers.**

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><p><span>An Ironic Destiny<span>

Ch.5

True Departure 

The band of misfits had arrived in Viridian City, the sleepy town unfazed by their entry. Rain had only recently finished his story, Cible completely silent as he walked with an estranged face. Glancing around his shoulder, Rain saw that Baine had only dug herself deeper into her state of depression.

"That probably didn't help…" Rain muttered to himself under his breath.

All throughout the explanation, Cible attempted to recollect what he had been told, his confused look almost glued to his face.

"Wait, wait up here. You're-" He fumbled clumsily with his words, swiping his arm with his finger pointed between the two. Rain only nodded, having expected this reaction. "And Baine's…" Cible trailed off, already knowing the answer. Sighing, he stared ahead, eyes tilted to the sky.  
>"That's messed up."<p>

Rain replied snarkily, already warming up to his companion. Having expected a freak-out or strong doubt, it warmed his cold mood. "Like I don't know it already, man."

As the two pokemon exchanged words with each other, Largo wistfully glanced at the town's Gym. If he made it far enough, he would end up back here, at the start of his journey. The thought that he might be a good enough trainer to prove worthy of the eighth gym was but a distant dream, one that gave him a pump of adrenaline and motivation.  
>Viridian Forest stood in front of them, the thought of Bug trainers invading Largo's peace of mind. The last thing he wanted was to see nothing but caterpies and weedles. God forbid he hears the command 'harden' more than twice in a row. The very thought of it made him scream anarchy in his mind. The forest would burn along with the bug trainers, their endless rosters of sexual innuendos dying with them.<br>The sound of rummaging through belongings filled the air, disturbing Largo's murderous train of thought. He turned to see Mel searching through her bag. Before he could inquire into it, she held out an object towards him. She wasn't looking at him directly, the usual spark in her eyes absent. Something was wrong.

"I don't have much use for this, and my mom made me pack it. I figured you'd have better use for it."

Largo accepted the gift with a skeptical eye. She was hiding something and he needed to know what. Being intrusive wasn't going to be the best course of action, however, so they continued to walk with few words exchanged between them. Mel was caught up in her thoughts the whole time. As they approached the entrance to Viridian Forest, Largo cut the silence between the two trainers.

"…Ah, Mel?" He initiated the conversation. Mel seemed unresponsive for a long moment, deep in thought. Finally, she snapped back into the present.

"Oh! Sorry about that I just kind of—" She stopped herself, restructuring her words. "I need to tell you something."

The group halted, everyone now bringing their attention to the female trainer—Everyone except Baine. Mel took a deep breath, unable to make eye contact with her childhood friend. Frustrated, she snapped her head and eyes to the entrance to the forest.

"…I think we should split up for this. I—we… We've been together for so long, some competition would be good, wouldn't it?" She eventually restored eye contact, a faint smile on her face. Largo listened intently, unsure how to interpret it. Deciding that the idea was sincere enough, he returned the smile hesitantly.

"We'll stay in touch though?"

"…Yeah."

While the two trainers were exchanging their temporary farewells and wishes, Baine had hardened her expression. Her somber, sorrowful face was now stern and determined, though unable to mask the feelings she couldn't cast away. Rain opened his mouth to speak, unable to produce a sound. Baine padded up to him slowly, clearly trying very hard to maintain her strict expression. Her mouth turned into a frown and a snarl, hostility taking over. Taken aback, confusion washed over Rain's face. She spoke in a hostile tone, surprising Cible as well.

"Don't bother trying to catch up. Rain, regardless of what's happened… Nothing will stop me from beating you. Human or not."

"What—Why are you saying that? There's no need to… This isn't what you would say. I know you wouldn't…"

Rain could find no more words to properly protest her words. Her attitude had taken him completely off guard, tears welling up as he watched his childhood friend hastily turn around to follow her trainer. Fighting the tears back, he shut his eyes, hiding his face in his tail. It was so sudden, so spontaneous. She doesn't change her attitude just like that. Something was wrong. She couldn't have meant that.  
>He didn't want to believe that she did.<p>

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><p><strong>I realise that it's quite short<strong>. **I'm sure inspiration will return to me soon.  
>No promises though, because then it will never happen.<strong>

**... I don't make any sense, do I?**

**Anyways, as always, comments and critique would be appreciated.**


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